Is there any device like this, a simple one to ON and OFF water from garden tap that works with HASS?
The idea is very simple; at 7 am every morning turn it on for 30 mins then turn off. Don’t worry about temperature etc at this stage.
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I’m currently building my own using a NodeMCU and 5VDC valve. Planning to control it from HA using MQTT. total cost approx AU$40. However it will require having power to it rather than being battery powered. The upside is that for a few extra dollars I am also including flow monitoring and a soil moisture sensor to provide additional feedback to HA.
Not aware of a simple device like you linked that will work with HA out of the box. There are full retic controllers that will work with HA though.
Hmmm okay there goes my idea lol i am no handy person.
Maybe i can buy it of you? 
Depending on how long you mind waiting, I can make a second one. Ive just got the parts together for this one and haven’t started the physical build yet. I do actually have double of everything because I was going to make it a 2 station unit. I don’t really need that though so could make 2 single station ones. Only problem is my next few weeks are crazy busy so no building is likely to happen
@sparkydave I literally have to Google NodeMCU & 5VDC valve … that is how ignorant I am about this handyman stuff.
I’ve asked the question to the store who sells it but I have 99% feeling he wouldn’t have any clue what Home Assistance is.
I can wait a bit; that’s really my side project … as for now, I am just getting up and running with Hass … getting myself familiar with it … I may even ask you the cookbook (the code etc) once you get yours up and running … that way I just copy and paste to my configuration.yml … i know right … .not only that I am ignorant, not a handyperson, I’m also lazy LOL.
Once you’re ready to build me one, we can talk about the price :)
No worries 
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WoW! Thanks! This looks like something I have been looking for!
and yes you can control it with HA, because -> https://www.link-tap.com/#!/api-for-developers
unfortunately that looks to me as though you then rely on their cloud server to complete the on/off request. or have I got that wrong?
No, I agree. Looks like you need their cloud service, but I’m fine with that. And I might be able to reverse engineer the calls they make to the gateway. Or just ask them to open that up as well. Who knows, maybe it’s a developer friendly bunch 
I just had a better look at the eBay listing again and realised that the gateway they talk about is a propriety unit that also needs to be purchased… there’s an additional $150. I think I’ll stick with my NodeMCU for $4 plus the other bits and pieces to go with it! At least I know it will definitely work with HA once I get the build completed
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@sparkydave i am seriously going to get that product of yours Dave provided its working and you don’t charge fortune hehe
Some feedback from the seller, i thought i share in case you’re interested.
Thanks for your enquiry. Our product currently is a stand-alone system, operates by its own, so it won’t work with Home Assistant. However, we provide an open API for clients who have some programming experience so they can integrate our products into their home automation system.
So based on that I would say someone (with better coding knowledge than myself) could get it to work with HA (and hopefully bypass their cloud server) however I still think the cost is far too high given that the Hub is required. You can get Rainbird retic controllers (which already have a HA component) for that kind of money.
I’ll try and push myself to get my valve controller built and tested ASAP and let you know the total cost if you want one. It would mainly be just a matter of covering the material costs.
Just so I understand how this work… Again apology, noob.
So this thing will just plug to normal aussie garden tap and also plug the power to normal power plug and off it goes? Of course coding is still required in Hass, which am going to copy and paste your working code.
By plug, i mean screw
Correct. The plan is to have it being a small box with 15mm tap treads coming out of it and then a plug-pack to go from 230VAC to 5VDC (basically the same power supply you use for a Raspberry Pi). I may even get a chance to knock up the main part of it this coming weekend, depending on how hard it is to recover from Friday (Aus Day )
Need to be outdoor quality as we don’t want this thing to caught in fire 
but you’re the sparky, what do I know lolllllll
Hahaha enjoy your Australia day mate, take it slow and easy lol
Hi @sparkydave,
I’m currently looking for a solution like this, but I’m strugling finding any good 5VDC valves. I find a bunch that is 12V, but then I would need a 12V powersupply…
Do you have a link to any good 5V ones?
I havent tested it yet but the ones I’m using for my project are from eBay and are meant to be for electronicially controlled toilets. They are very well made so hopefully will work well once I finally get around to finishing the build. These should be ok for my appilcatino as I’m only running drippers so high flow is not required. You can always use solenoids with a higher voltage and simply use a different power supply.
I actually have a LinkTap as linked in the original post, and its not the worst thing.
I needed something quickly as i was going away for a few weeks, in a new garden in Sydney, Australia, in the middle of summer, is not something you want to go without water, but then didnt want to waste water in the event we had rain / a storm. This was the best of both worlds, without being SUPER expensive. Most of the other devices on the market like this are bluetooth, but ultimately they are all just tap timers.
Now that im back, their API is “ok” - you can turn the tap on and off for xx minutes. I actually wrote my own web hook, and using IFTTT can control it via google assistant/home.
Anyway, my point to posting is LinkTap uses zigbee as the connection mechnanism between its gateway and the tap. So it might be possible for someone to reverse engineer whats its doing. Im only super new to HA, but it would potentially be a cool thing to do!
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